Hoima City Mayor Edward Isingoma has called for stronger commitment to environmental conservation, warning that poor implementation of climate policies is undermining efforts to restore degraded landscapes and protect communities from worsening climate-related risks.
Hoima City Mayor Edward Isingoma has challenged environmentalists and government agencies to improve the implementation of climate change policies, saying good ideas and well-designed programmes will achieve little without consistent action.
Isingoma made the remarks during the launch of the five-year Albertine Climate Resilient Programme (ACREP), an initiative by Africa Tourism and Environment Initiatives (ATEI), at Hoima City Stadium, where a marathon was held to raise awareness about environmental conservation.
He criticised the tendency to introduce initiatives without adequately implementing them, arguing that the failure to translate plans into action was holding back progress.
“We do have good ideas but with poor implementation in Uganda, we continue to live in a confused life, engaging in what pushes us backwards after failing the system,” Isingoma said.
He called for sustained commitment to environmental conservation, saying restoring degraded landscapes would help protect essential natural resources, including water, whose availability he said had declined because of irresponsible human activities.
“We had so many forests but we worked very hard to destroy them all, and that's why we are facing these harsh climatic conditions,” he said.
Isingoma warned that the effects of environmental degradation could become more severe for future generations unless communities and authorities intensified conservation efforts.
Moses Bismarck, a team leader at ATEI, said ACREP was designed to address climate-related challenges in Hoima, where emerging economic activity is accompanied by concerns about prolonged dry spells, food insecurity and environmental degradation.
He said the programme would focus on six pillars, including environmental restoration, wetland protection, green livelihoods, climate action in partnership with schools and climate justice.
Bismarck identified tree growing as a key priority, urging communities to nurture planted trees rather than concentrate on ceremonial planting exercises.
“Don't just be tree planters but rather tree growers and nurture them because we are tired of planting trees for ceremonial purposes,” he said.
The programme will be implemented in partnership with Good Forest Foundation Uganda (GFFU), Nature Talk Africa (NaTA) and the Jane Goodall Institute, among other organisations.
Grace Kojjo of Kontiki Hotel urged communities to embrace bamboo growing, saying it could contribute to environmental restoration.
Christopher Opio of NaTA said unpredictable weather patterns were affecting agriculture and livelihoods, contributing to food insecurity and poverty.
He said his organisation was also promoting alternative economic activities, including beekeeping, to help communities diversify their incomes and strengthen their livelihoods.
Junior Ampumuza, a forestry field coordinator at GFFU, urged communities to use natural resources responsibly, warning that environmental destruction would leave future generations with fewer resources.
GFFU distributed indigenous tree seedlings, including timber and fruit varieties such as jackfruit, avocado and muvule, to participants. Ampumuza encouraged residents to grow and nurture more trees as part of efforts to address climate change.
“We must be tree growers rather than planters so we can succeed in this fight against climate change,” he said.
A representative of the Ministry of Water and Environment, Suzan, attributed environmental degradation to irresponsible use of natural resources, including tree felling and encroachment on protected areas such as wetlands.
She said the destruction of vegetation exposed land to direct sunlight and called for collective action to improve environmental protection.
The programme's launch comes amid wider efforts to restore degraded landscapes across Uganda, including in the Bunyoro sub-region. However, the organisers' targets, participating districts and implementation plans will be important in determining its reach and impact over the five-year period.